Elegance and bearing, a photo from Sahel, East

Photographer's Note

Markoye is located in the north east of Burkina Faso; every week took place a huge market where a mixt of ethnic people gather: Tuareg, Peul, Bella, Bozo and Songhai. They all come here to sell or exchange livestock. At the end of the morning the market crowd is at its top.

Between desert and savannah, markets are considered privileged meeting places between two different worlds: the one of nomadic shepherds of berber origin and the one of the settled farmers of Black Africa.
Food market and the one of daily use merchandise is located in the middle of the village with its multitude of buyers and sellers: a kaleidoscope of colours, perfumes and voices with thousands of intonations. At the meantime, in a big place outside, is taking place the livestock market. Tuaregs arrive with their camel caravans crossing through the zebu’s herds of Peuls.
The shouts of nomads dressed in their traditional clothes blend with the confused cry of their herds… a unique performance out of the time.

Miks, pedrocarmo, Silke, SamB, jurarafal, sanalytis, albertopiubello, siolaw, AROBN54 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

leo61 (0) 2007-02-14 16:37

Hi Luca!
Fantastic profile portrait of this proud looking man.You manged the bright light very well and I like his traditional cloth and the nice blurred background.
Regards,Leo
With my today`s post ,I uploaded a nice workshop,I`ll sure,you`ll smile about it....

Miks (1717) 2007-02-14 16:47

Sound like a very interesting place Luca.

Nice portrait as well. I'm a little surprised that it works. Normally it is problematic with a large light patch which is not the main motive. Our eyes are drawn to the light areas. But it does work. The white shirt serves as a sort of background for his head. Great that his face is illuminated. And good DOF to make him stand out. Good work.

Best,
Mikkel

pedrocarmo (1295) 2007-02-14 16:57

Very elegant portrait.
It would be even better if you could have more light on the man eyes.
Well Done

kodiak11 (560) 2007-02-14 19:33

Luca...many thanks for the memories of my visit there in the early 70s...and a wonderful photo, and moment you captured.

Silke (3027) 2007-02-14 21:13

Crisp details and spot-on colours make this a truly outstanding portrait.
I love the expression you've captured and the clean composition
TFS
silke

SamB (1948) 2007-02-14 21:51

Hello, Luca--
Nice work here, the expression on the man's face is nice, and you used the lighting well... but i can't help but wish that the frame was shifted left a bit, maybe with the right edge to the base of his neck, to let his sidelong glance lead further into the frame.
Thanks!
sam

faubry (35447) 2007-02-15 5:56

bonsoir Luca, quelle prestance... quelle beauté plastique, magnifique photo..avec l arrière plan flou, beau travail
bravo
francine

sanalytis (1634) 2007-02-16 0:42

Ciao Luca,

Very good portrait of this man dressed in his tradional clothing. The gold and white colors of his top contrast well agaisnt the rest of the image.

Spiros

albertopiubello (2623) 2007-02-16 14:15

Ciao Luca,
qui oltre all'espressione sempre favolosa del tuo soggetto c'è anche un'eleganza strepitosa.
La gandoura è uno degli abiti più belli che abbia mai visto in giro per il mondo ed infatti ne ho una una sul modello di questa che riproduci.
Alberto

siolaw (38294) 2007-02-17 11:18

Hi Luca,
A superb portrait here with great natural posture, optimal light giving warm colors, good use of narrow DOF to isolate him from colorful bokeh...
Bel lavoro!
Laurent

Scharan (14144) 2007-02-17 11:24

Olá Luca

Ótimo retrato, expressão forte e belas cores.
O segundo plano desfocado ficou bem.Parabéns pelo trabalho.
Grande abraço,
Vera.

everlasting (19680) 2007-02-18 5:44

A fine portrait of this elegent man. Good DOF Luca, maybe you could have sill cropped a little tighter.

AROBN54 (11475) 2007-02-26 20:09

Hi, Luca.
Beautifully done portrait. I like the way you have caught the pride in his bearing and that strong face. The colors and lighting are beautiful. The light robe is contrasted wonderfully with the dark blue headdress. Great shot!! Best wishes,
Shelly